Slumping Oakland A's shut out by Baltimore Orioles

Oakland Athletics' David DeJesus loses his bat while striking out against the Baltimore Orioles in the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 7, 2011 in Baltimore. The Orioles won 4-0.(AP Photo/Gail Burton)

BALTIMORE -- A's fans will draw hope from any source possible right now.

Hope arrived Tuesday in the form of highly touted second baseman Jemile Weeks, promoted from the minor leagues as veteran Mark Ellis joined the 15-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.

Weeks hit leadoff for the A's in his major league debut, but he couldn't prevent Oakland from firing another dud in a 4-0 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards.

That makes eight consecutive losses for the A's, their longest losing streak since an eight-game skid that bridged the 2009 and 2010 seasons.

"We've just got to deal with it and come out every day and keep grinding," shortstop Cliff Pennington said. "We've got to find a way to win a game."

The A's are 0-5 to begin this 10-game trip. In two games at Camden, they have scored just two runs against an Orioles pitching staff that entered Tuesday ranked 12th out of 14 American League teams in ERA.

Manager Bob Geren said he thinks his hitters had good swings Tuesday. Truth is, the A's look like a flat and defeated bunch right now.

Weeks, a first-round draft pick in 2008 who is the younger brother of Milwaukee's Rickie Weeks, went 0 for 4 in a nondescript debut. But the speedy switch hitter at least provides new blood.

And unless the A's make a sudden turnaround, the focus will soon shift toward the future, as the past several seasons eventually have.

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A recurring hip injury hindered Weeks, 24, over parts of his first three professional seasons. He got off to a fast start this season with Triple-A Sacramento, hitting .321 with three homers, 22 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 45 games.

"He's a talented player," Geren said. "He's ready to go."

Geren indicated that center fielder Coco Crisp, who was off Tuesday, will return to the leadoff spot Wednesday. But he said Weeks will be back at second base.

The question is how much more we might see of Weeks as the season unfolds.

Ellis -- an enormously respected player and still an excellent defender -- is signed only through this season. He is hitting just .211 with one homer and 15 RBIs.

Geren wouldn't touch the topic when asked if Weeks could win the starting job were he to shine in Ellis' absence.

"I look at it as, Mark is injured and we're calling Jemile up," Geren said. "Making statements like that, it's not fair to make anything like that."

Ellis, 34, wasn't thrilled with being placed on the D.L., saying he didn't think his injury was that significant.

But it's worth noting that last season he missed roughly a month with a left hamstring injury, going on the D.L. after trying to come back too quickly.

"I don't think it's that (serious) at all," Ellis said of his current injury. "But when you don't have enough players, someone has to go on the D.L., and that's me."